Abstract:

Provided are an Internet phone terminal that applies a wideband voice
codec, and an Internet phone communication method. A wideband voice
signal received from the Internet through a wired line or wirelessly is
decoded using the wideband voice codec, and a wideband voice signal
received through a microphone supporting a wideband is encoded using the
wideband voice codec, so that the Internet phone terminal can provide
high quality voice communication.

Claims:

1. An Internet phone terminal comprising:an interface unit connected to
the Internet through a wired line or wirelessly;a wideband voice signal
input/output unit decoding a wideband voice signal received through the
interface unit using a wideband voice codec, and encoding a wideband
voice signal received through a microphone supporting a wideband using
the wideband voice codec; andan application processor controlling the
interface unit and the wideband voice signal input/output unit so that
the encoded signal is transmitted to the Internet through the interface
unit.

2. The Internet phone terminal of claim 1, wherein the interface unit
comprises:a wireless connector accessing a radio access station (RAS) of
the Internet wirelessly; andan Ethernet connector accessing the Internet
using a wired line through the Ethernet.

4. The Internet phone terminal of claim 3, wherein the output unit
amplifies the decoded signal using a bridge tied logic (BTL) audio
amplifier, and outputs the amplified signal through the speaker
supporting the wideband.

5. An Internet phone communication method supporting a wideband, the
method comprising:receiving a wideband voice signal from the Internet
through a wired line or wirelessly, or receiving a wideband voice signal
through a microphone supporting a wideband;decoding the wideband voice
signal received from the Internet using a wideband voice codec, and
encoding the wideband voice signal received through the microphone using
the wideband voice codec; andoutputting the decoded signal through a
speaker, and transmitting the encoded signal to the Internet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the outputting of the decoded signal
comprises:amplifying the decoded signal using a BTL audio amplifier;
andoutputting the amplified signal through the speaker supporting the
wideband.

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]The present invention relates to a portable Internet phone terminal,
and more particularly, to a communication terminal that applies a
wideband voice codec to improve the voice quality of telephone
communication through the Internet.

[0002]This work was supported by the IT R&D program of MIC/IITA
[2005-S-100-03, Wireless Broadband Internet Phone Terminal Using Wideband
Voice Coded].

BACKGROUND ART

[0003]In the conventional art, there have separately existed a wired
Internet phone terminal, and a wireless Internet phone terminal using
Bluetooth and a wireless local area network (LAN). Recently, an exclusive
Internet phone terminal using a wireless LAN has been developed, and a
dual-mode terminal that can use both a mobile network that utilizes code
division multiple access (CDMA) or global system for mobile
communications (GSM), and the wireless LAN is under development. However,
when the wireless LAN is used, the wireless LAN can be used in only a
limited area. In case of a dual-mode terminal, exchange between a mobile
network and an Internet protocol (IP) network is required, and a call
process is complicated.

[0004]Also, since a conventional communication terminal supports only a
narrowband voice codec, an Internet phone terminal of improved quality
cannot be realized. For example, a sound in the band of 6 kHz such as
chirp of a cricket, not human voice cannot be heard through a general
phone, an Internet phone, or a mobile phone of a narrowband currently in
use.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

[0005]The present invention provides an Internet phone terminal connected
to the Internet through a wired line or wirelessly and providing improved
voice quality in a wideband, and a method thereof.

Technical Solution

[0006]According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided
an Internet phone terminal comprising: an interface unit connected to the
Internet through a wired line or wirelessly; a wideband voice signal
input/output unit decoding a wideband voice signal received through the
interface unit using a wideband voice codec, and encoding a wideband
voice signal received through a microphone supporting a wideband using
the wideband voice codec; and an application processor controlling the
interface unit and the wideband voice signal input/output unit so that
the encoded signal is transmitted to the Internet through the interface
unit.

[0007]According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an Internet phone communication method supporting a wideband,
the method comprising: receiving a wideband voice signal from the
Internet through a wired line or wirelessly, or receiving a wideband
voice signal through a microphone supporting a wideband; decoding the
wideband voice signal received from the Internet using a wideband voice
codec, and encoding the wideband voice signal received through the
microphone using the wideband voice codec; and outputting the decoded
signal through a speaker, and transmitting the encoded signal to the
Internet.

Advantageous Effects

[0008]According to the present invention, a wideband voice codec, a
microphone, a receiver, and a speaker supporting a wideband are used to
provide voice communication of high quality having increased naturality
and definiteness, and various multimedia Internet services, and an
application processor where indispensable functions have been integrated
is used to minimize the number of parts and to facilitate design, so that
a low-priced high quality terminal can be provided. Also, the Internet
can be accessed wirelessly, and in the case where access to a wireless
network is impossible, the Internet can be accessed through the Ethernet,
so that portability increases. Also, hardware and software of various
functions can be additionally mounted, so that a high quality terminal of
various purposes can be provided.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009]The above and other features and advantages of the present invention
will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments
thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0010]FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a case where an Internet phone
terminal according to the present invention is applied to an Ethernet
environment;

[0011]FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a case where an Internet phone
terminal according to the present invention is applied to a wireless
Internet environment;

[0012]FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the construction of an Internet phone
terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 4 is a detailed view illustrating the construction of an
Internet phone terminal according to an embodiment of the present
invention;

[0014]FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the inner construction of an
application processor of an Internet phone terminal according to an
embodiment of the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 6 is a detailed view illustrating the construction of a
wideband voice signal input/output unit of an Internet phone terminal
that applies a wideband voice codec according to the present invention;
and

[0016]FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts of an Internet phone communication
method supporting a wideband according to an embodiment of the present
invention.

BEST MODE

[0017]According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided
an Internet phone terminal comprising: an interface unit connected to the
Internet through a wired line or wirelessly; a wideband voice signal
input/output unit decoding a wideband voice signal received through the
interface unit using a wideband voice codec, and encoding a wideband
voice signal received through a microphone supporting a wideband using
the wideband voice codec; and an application processor controlling the
interface unit and the wideband voice signal input/output unit so that
the encoded signal is transmitted to the Internet through the interface
unit.

[0018]According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an Internet phone communication method supporting a wideband,
the method comprising: receiving a wideband voice signal from the
Internet through a wired line or wirelessly, or receiving a wideband
voice signal through a microphone supporting a wideband; decoding the
wideband voice signal received from the Internet using a wideband voice
codec, and encoding the wideband voice signal received through the
microphone using the wideband voice codec; and outputting the decoded
signal through a speaker, and transmitting the encoded signal to the
Internet.

Mode for Invention

[0019]An Internet phone terminal that applies a wideband voice codec and
an Internet phone communication method according to the present invention
will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020]FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a case where an Internet phone
terminal according to the present invention is applied to an Ethernet
environment, and FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a case where an Internet
phone terminal according to the present invention is applied to a
wireless Internet environment.

[0021]Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the Internet phone terminals 120 and 220
are directly connected to an Ethernet device such as a hub 110 through a
wired line, or wirelessly connected to a radio access station (RAS) 210
to provide a high quality voice communication function and an Internet
access service function.

[0022]FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the construction of an Internet phone
terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024]The interface unit 300 is connected to a wired/wireless
communication network. The interface unit 300 includes a wireless
connection means (not shown) accessing an RAS of the Internet wirelessly,
and an Ethernet connection means (not shown) accessing the Internet using
a wired line through the Ethernet.

[0025]The wideband voice signal input/output unit 310 decodes a wideband
voice signal received through the interface unit 300 using a wideband
voice codec, and encodes a wideband voice signal received through a
microphone supporting a wideband using the wideband voice codec. The
detailed construction of the wideband voice signal input/output unit 310
is illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0026]The application processor 320 controls signal input/output
operations of the interface unit 300 and the wideband voice signal
input/output unit 310. That is, the application processor 320 controls a
signal encoded by the wideband voice signal input/output unit 310 to be
transmitted to the Internet through the interface unit 300, and controls
a wideband voice signal received through the interface unit 300 to be
delivered to the wideband voice signal input/output unit 310. The
detailed construction of the application processor 320 is illustrated in
FIG. 5.

[0027]FIG. 4 is a detailed view illustrating the construction of an
Internet phone terminal according to an embodiment of the present
invention.

[0029]The JTAG connector 402 connects a JTAG controller (not shown) with
the application processor 400, and can connect the application processor
400 with a debugging device such as a Multi-ICE, a RealView-ICE, and an
OPENice debugging a software program operating on an ARM platform 512 (of
FIG. 5) of the application processor 400. The JTAG connector 402
transmits and receives debugging information through an input data signal
TDI, an output data signal TDO, a data clock signal TCK, a reset signal
TRST, and a mode selection signal TSM.

[0030]The reset unit 404 supplies a power input reset signal and a switch
reset signal to the application processor 400 if necessary.

[0031]The clock unit 406 supplies a clock of 26 MHz and a clock of 32.768
kHz necessary for the Internet phone terminal. These clocks are input to
the application processor 400 and each clock is divided, multiplied, and
supplied to each part to serve as a source of a real time clock.

[0032]The EIA232 connector 408 connects a terminal for a debugging
operation with the application processor 400 through an EIA232 port. The
EIA232 connector 408 includes a transceiver converting a signal level and
performing a driving operation, and transmits/receives data through a
transmission data signal TXD and a reception data signal RXD.

[0034]The CLCD output unit 412 is connected to the application processor
400 through maximum 24-bit CLCD data signals CLCD0 through CLCD23, a CLCD
data clock CLCLK, a CLCD data enable signal CLDEM, a CLCD vertical
synchronization signal CLVSYNC, a CLCD horizontal synchronization signal
CLHSYNC to display all the states of the Internet phone terminal,
messages necessary for a user, and image data. Examples of the display
messages include a current state of the phone, calling and called
numbers, a current time, date, day, and reception signal intensity. The
application processor 400 can be programmed to add and delete various
messages.

[0035]The keypad input unit 414 uses twelve basic key buttons for dialing
a phone number and a special number, and sixteen function key buttons for
additional service functions. The function key buttons include a menu
key, an OK key, a send key, an end key, and a function setting key.

[0037]The memory unit 418 is directly connected to the application
processor 400 to store a start program or a terminal operating program,
etc. The memory unit 418 includes a NOR flash read only memory (FROM)
that can be accessed using a 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit bus, or a NAND FROM
that can be accessed using a 8-bit bus. The memory unit 418 temporarily
stores user data or various application programs. The memory unit 418 can
include a double data rate (DDR) synchronous dynamic random access memory
(SDRAM) that can be accessed using a 16-bit or 32-bit bus, or a pseudo
static random access memory (PSRAM) that can be accessed using an 8-bit,
16-bit, or 32-bit bus. Also, an external device that can be accessed in
the form of a memory map can be connected.

[0043]An Ethernet connection module 432 is provided in the form of a USB
module, and connected to the USB host connector 430 using a differential
plus data signal DP and a differential minus data signal DM. The Ethernet
connection module 432 is connected to an Ethernet line using an output
data plus signal TPOP, an output data minus signal TPOM, an input data
plus signal TPIP, and an input data minus signal TPIM to process data so
that the data is suited for a LAN protocol in its inside according to an
Ethernet standard.

[0044]The USB OTG connector 428 uses an USB OTG transceiver, and is
connected to the application processor 400 using input data signals OVM
and OVP, output data signals OVMO and OVPO, a data enable signal DE, an
interrupt signal INT, a serial data clock signal SCL, and a serial data
signal SDA. The USB OTG connector 428 is connected to an USB OTG port
using a differential plus data signal ODP and a differential minus data
signal ODM to transmit/receive data. Unlike the USB host port, the USB
OTG port supports both a device mode and a host mode. The mode is
determined according to the level of an identification (ID) pin of the
USB port.

[0045]The application processor 400 mounts a processor core therein, and
serves as a core block connected to the respective parts to perform a
protocol process according to relevant communication methods of the
respective parts and a terminal function in hardware/software manners.

[0046]FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the inner construction of an
application processor of an Internet phone terminal according to an
embodiment of the present invention.

[0049]The system reset controller 514 is connected to the reset unit 404
of FIG. 4 to initialize all the circuits of the processor in response to
a reset signal input from the outside, and generates reset signals
necessary for respective controllers and puts them on a bus.

[0050]The clock controller 516 is connected to the clock unit 406 of FIG.
4, and receives a signal of 26 MHz, which is a clock signal input from
the outside, to generate various clocks necessary for the inside using a
phase lock loop (PLL), and receives a signal of 32.768 kHz to generate a
real-time clock.

[0051]The memory interface controller 518 generates control signal for
writing/reading data to/from a memory device according to a timing to
connect with an externally connected flash memory, a synchronous dynamic
memory, or a device having the form of a memory map.

[0052]The smart DMA controller 520 generates and supplies a control signal
allowing data transmission/reception between each controller and the
memory to be performed fast without intervention of the processor, and
can obtain a master right from the processor to transmit data.

[0053]The interrupt controller 522 processes inner and outer interrupts
generated while a program is performed according to a priority.

[0054]The WD timer 524 performs a periodic watchdog timer function
generating an interrupt by a predetermined period to monitor a
performance procedure of the program.

[0055]The general timer 526 receives a reference clock and generates an
appropriate timing signal at a time designated by the program.

[0056]The real-time clock 528 is divided using a clock of 32.768 kHz and
then performs a counting operation by a unit of second using a clock of 1
Hz to calculate minute, hour, day, month, and year.

[0057]The bus controller 530 connects a data signal, an address signal,
and a control signal on a multiple bus so that these signals are suited
for the timing of each bus.

[0058]The bus matrix switch 532 switches between a multiple master bus and
a slave bus in high speed.

[0059]The multimedia processing unit 542 encodes or decodes image data
being input/output according to a pre-process, a post-process, and a
standard video codec, thereby processing the image data.

[0065]The UART controller 554 controls data input/output in series, and
processes data such that the data is suited for a UART protocol.

[0066]The USB OTG controller 564 allows the USB port to perform a device
function or a host function depending on a mode, and processes high speed
serial data according to a USB 2.0 standard to transmit/receive the data
through the USB OTG port.

[0067]The USB host controller 566 processes high speed serial data
according to a USB 2.0 standard to transmit/receive the data through the
USB host port.

[0068]The SD controller 568 performs a function of connecting with a
memory card such as an SD card or an external device.

[0069]The CF controller 570 performs a function of connecting with a
memory card such as a CF card or an external device.

[0070]FIG. 6 is a detailed view illustrating the construction of a
wideband voice signal input/output unit of an Internet phone terminal
that applies a wideband voice codec according to the present invention.

[0072]The wideband headset connection unit 600 is connected to a receiver
receiving voice and a microphone transmitting voice. The receiver and the
microphone support a band ranging from 50 Hz to 7 kHz to allow
transmission/reception voice signals to be processed in a wideband.

[0073]The mic input unit 610 receives voice and delivers the voice to the
audio codec 620, and uses a microphone supporting wideband signals. In
case of using electrostatic condenser type microphone, bias power is
supplied to a voice signal line, which is connected with a ground signal.

[0079]FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts of an Internet phone communication
method supporting a wideband according to an embodiment of the present
invention.

[0080]Referring to FIG. 7A, when a terminal receives a wideband voice
signal through the Internet (S700), the received wideband voice signal is
decoded using a wideband voice codec (S710), and then the decoded signal
is output through a speaker supporting a wideband (S720).

[0081]Referring to FIG. 7B, when the terminal receives a wideband voice
signal through a microphone supporting a wideband (S750), the received
wideband voice signal is encoded using a wideband voice codec (S760), and
then the encoded signal is output to the Internet (S770).

[0082]The invention can also be embodied as computer-readable codes on a
computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording
medium is any data storage device that can store data which can be
thereafter read by a computer system. Examples of the computer-readable
recording medium include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory
(RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage
devices, and carrier waves (such as data transmission through the
Internet). The computer-readable recording medium can also be distributed
over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer-readable code
is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

[0083]While this invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by
those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be
made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention
as defined by the appended claims. The preferred embodiments should be
considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed
description of the invention but by the appended claims, and all
differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the
present invention.